There's no better reward in wine than finding inexpensive bottles that drink well, punching above their weight for our pleasure. Well, perhaps there are some greater rewards, but this has to be one of the good ones. Here are notes on two recently tasted inexpensive wines that impressed, starting with one from Cheverny.
Cheverny is a Loire appellation, near Blois in the Touraine region, so not that far from the spiritual home of Chenin Blanc, Vouvray. Despite this proximity, however, like the more generic Touraine appellations that surround it Cheverny is Sauvignon Blanc territory; this variety must constitute between 60-85% of the blend, the remainder can be Chardonnay, Menu Pineau (also known as Arbois or Petit Verdet) and of course Chenin. So for this reason if the wine is to be a surrogate for any more expensive style it is perhaps more likely that it would be lined up against the central appellations of Pouilly-Fumé or Sancerre, which are both of course 100% Sauvignon Blanc. I wouldn't try to place this wine at the level this comparison suggests, but it was certainly very good.
Domaine du Salvard Cheverny 2007: A Sauvignon Blanc-Chardonnay blend. This wine has a pale, quite clear hue. The nose is very typical of Sauvignon rather than Chardonnay, with the aromas of freshly cut asparagus with green and yellow capsicum. This very fresh style continues onto the palate although it also shows some immediate weight, with a nicely full and broad midpalate, with very gentle acidity at its core. The character remains very Sauvignon-dominated, although with a very sappy substance too (perhaps the Chardonnay helps here) as well as an attractively sour, mouth-watering quality to the fruit especially towards the finish. This is a good, characterful and very drinkable wine. 16/20
Next up another inexpensive and very serviceable white, the Viña Sol from Torres in Penedés, a crowd-pleaser that I frequently have in stock although I don't often write about it. The variety here is Parellada, a grape perhaps best associated with Cava but which clearly can also do well when vinified into a still, dry white. It tends to have a good amount of acidity which is no doubt useful in a sparkling wine but in a still wine too it provides freshness and lift, and I have previously commented on older vintages and how well they were suited for shellfish or other seafood. This latest bottle (the last of a half case, it has been resting undisturbed for perhaps the past 6-12 months) exceeded my expectations though. It had clearly developed some interesting complexities, which weren't in my opinion just reductive aromas from time under screwcap closure, in case that thought arises!
Torres Viña Sol 2007: Bottled under screwcap. Again this is a very pale wine. I have to confess I anticipated little excitement here, so I was taken aback by the nose which possesses lemony fruit, herbs and some smoky, minerally, flinty aromas. I certainly don't recall such an interesting array from previous tastes. Aromatically this is really quite enticing, and if I were forced to liken it to another style with which I am more familiar it resembles a decent AC Chablis more than anything else. The palate is fresh, somewhat zippy, with some substance, a minerally backbone and nice weight. Clean, lively, textured, firm and tightly composed, this is impressive for what it is, and very enjoyable. 16.5/20